Scribe

Burgundian scribe (portrait of Jean Miélot, secretary, copyist and
translator to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, from a copy of his compilation
of the Miracles de Notre Dame NOTE: NOT IN FACT A MONK AT ALL, NOR PROBABLY
A SCRIPTORIUM!, though a canon of Lille Cathedral.), 15th century. The picture
is greatly detailed in its rendering of the room's furnishings, the writer's
materials, equipment, and activity.

The recordation of historys
greatest events and most profound ideas fall into the capable hand of the scribe.
They preserve civilizations greatest texts, ensuring their Survival for
future generations. Blessed with a sharp mind and steady hand, they painstakingly
transcribe voluminous quantities of scrolls, books and tomes, preserving centuries
of written knowledge and heritage. In addition, the scribes ability to
translate written works into numerous languages enables thoughts to cross linguistic
and racial barriers previously considered insurmountable.

Well educated and highly
disciplined, scribes spent countless hours honing their craft, meticulously
copying and translating prosaic and poetic verses while maintaining legibility.
Often abandoned by their parents or orphaned, many fledgling scribes begin their Profession as young children after being adopted by a local church, monastery
or university. Although initially resistant to the task, many eventually adapt
to the demanding and usually cloistered lifestyle. During their apprenticeship
as scribes, pupils receive a broad educational foundation concentrating in grammar
and linguistics with some exposure to mathematics as well as social and physical
sciences. When they reach adulthood, a large percentage of scribes enter the
priesthood or monasticism.

Naturally, the scribes
scholastic background and duties expose her to a vast wealth of information
unseen by the general public. Furthermore, her translation and recordation skills
make her an integral component to any diplomatic mission, allowing her nearly
limitless access to classified documents. The most ambitious and talented scribes
parlay their diverse abilities into a high level advisory position or an ambassadorship.

Yet, despite their inherent Intelligence and rigorous work ethic, scribes rarely write original works. Speculation
abounds as to the reasons for this curious phenomenon, but the fact remains
that only a privileged few dare to undertake such a daunting task.

clerics and monks comprise
more than threequarters of the scribe population, with the Balance consisting
of a smattering of bards and wizards. sorcerers rarely possess the innate discipline
to adhere to the scribes regimented lifestyle. Their class usually depends
on their childhood; children raised in churches were ordained as clerics, those
reared in monasteries became monks and wards of the universities followed the
path to arcane magic. Despite their sequestered upbringing, a growing number
of scribes venture from their secluded existence in search of knowledge and
adventure.

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To qualify to become a
scribe, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Scribes are proficient with all simple weapons, light and medium armor and shields.

Scribe
Scroll: At
1st level, scribes receive this feat at no additional cost. She may inscribe
any spell that she can cast with this feat, whether it is a scribe spell or
a spell acquired from another source.

Spells: Scribes
possess a limited ability to cast an eclectic collection of arcane and divine
spells based upon her class level. Scribes may prepare and cast any spell on
the scribe spell list provided that she is of sufficient level to cast the spell.
Scribes meditate for their spells on a daily basis, spending one hour per day
in secluded contemplation. To cast a spell, the scribe must have a Wisdom score
no less than 10 + the spells level. Their bonus spells are based upon Wisdom, and the difficulty class for a saving throw against a scribes
spell is 10 + the spells level + the scribes Wisdom modifier. The
scribes daily allotment of
spells appears below, followed by their spell list.

Quest for Knowledge
(Ex):Whenever a scribe makes a Knowledge skill check in a trained
field of study, the scribe rolls two d20s, accepting the higher result.
This ability reflects the scribes vast Knowledge and is usable an unlimited
number of times per day.

Faint Recollection (Su): Usable once per day, faint recollection allows the scribe to add her scribe
level and Wisdom modifier to any Knowledge check providing that she has at least
one rank in the specified field. She must declare that she is using this ability
prior to rolling her skill check. This ability works in unison with Quest for
Knowledge, i.e. she adds the modifier to the higher of the two die rolls.

Word Traps (Su):A scribe can find traps involving writing as if she were a rogue. The ability
affects any trap triggered by the reading or speaking of any written word, or
where a written word is inherent to the traps functioning. This includes
spells such as explosive
runes and glyph
of warding. There are no limitations
on its daily usage.

Inner Discipline (Su): Accustomed to a harsh and highly regimented lifestyle, scribes actively resist
any efforts to deviate from their set patterns. The scribes tolerance
against cold, heat and suffocation doubles. For example, a normal human exposed
to extreme cold must make a Fortitude save every ten minutes or sustain 1d6
points of subdual damage. The scribe rolls his Fortitude save once every twenty
minutes, although she suffers the same amount of damage on a failed saving throw.
Inner Discipline remains in effect constantly.

Poison Page (Ex):Although not adept with the usage of poison in combat, scribes are well
versed in poisoning written material. One dose of poison is sufficient to coat
an 8 ½ by 11 inch sheet of paper. Any contact or injestible poison described
in the SRD can be used for this purpose, but her expertise in the application
of the poison negates any chance of accidentally poisoning herself. There are
no limitations on the usage of this ability other than its material costs.

Diplomatic Credentials
(Ex):Throughout their career, scribes interact with a host of political
and military officials, acquiring access to secret information as well as influential
contacts within the government. Whenever a scribe attempts a Gather Information check involving any information possessed by the local government, she receives
a circumstance bonus equal to her scribe level. For instance, if the scribe
sought information about a known thieves guild operating within the city, the
scribe would receive her bonus because the government possesses knowledge about
the criminal enterprise. However, the bonus does not apply if she wanted information
outside of the governments sphere of influence, such as the background
of a wizard dwelling in the wilderness or the monstrous inhabitants of a nearby
mountain chain. The scribe may use this ability a number of times per day equal
to her Charisma modifier. If she has no Charisma modifier, she can use this
ability but once per week.

Identify Written Works
(Su):Because of their exposure to countless books, scribes possess
the ability to identify the general function of any magical written work. In
order to ascertain the items abilities, the scribe rolls a d20 adding
her scribe level and Wisdom modifier. Any modified result exceeding 25 accurately
determines its general function. This ability can be used a numberof times per
day equal to the scribes level.

Improved Memory (Su): Years of repetitive transcription substantially increase the scribes
mnemonic capacity, allowing her to recall a number of spell levels per day equal
to her Intelligence modifier. Improved Memory applies only to scribe and arcane spells,
not divine spells acquired by a cleric, druid, paladin or ranger. Furthermore,
she can only recall spells previously cast during the course of the day.

legend
lore (Su):Once per day, the scribe can cast legend
lore as if she were a cleric of the same level. The ability is subject to
all of the spells limitations including casting time.

Income

While some of the prestige
classes rely exclusively on their creativity for income, several others work
for another entity. This class receives their income on a monthly basis according
to the following formulas.

The
text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under
the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.

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